"Slap!"
He took a small step forward, towering a head above the young man before him. The commanding presence he had cultivated from long-standing authority allowed him to exude an oppressive aura without even trying.
"Stop being unreasonable. Speak clearly."
Accustomed to being in control, he believed this was the greatest concession he could make.
However, his commanding tone and subtly threatening posture clearly backfired.
Frightened by his dangerous gaze and advancing steps, the young man retreated half a step, stumbling until his back pressed against the cold wall, leaving him with nowhere to go. He raised both hands defensively in front of him.
"I have nothing to say to you!"
He turned his head away, refusing to communicate, leaving Jiang Lian with only a glimpse of his beautifully flushed cheek and trembling, tightly pressed lips.
Seeing the young man’s aloof and distant demeanor, a surge of irritation rose in Jiang Lian’s heart.
It felt as though, at some point, he had been similarly frustrated by this young man’s cold indifference.
He disliked such an attitude.
The air grew heavy, with only the young man’s slightly hurried breaths faintly audible.
Jiang Lian’s low, hoarse voice repeated the insult the young man had just hurled at him. "Don’t want to talk to a scoundrel?"
He took another step forward, closing the distance even further. His tall frame nearly enveloped Xi Ting completely, casting a shadow that carried an intangible pressure.
He didn’t speak immediately. Instead, his deep gray eyes slowly, menacingly swept over Xi Ting’s flushed cheeks, trembling eyelashes, and finally settled once more on the elegantly curved yet tense line of his neck and the glaring crimson mark beneath his collar.
This time, he was certain—it was unmistakably a declaration of possession.
Because when he stared at that mark, his first instinct was to leave a deeper imprint, to cover up that unsightly crimson.
The thought struck him as absurd, yet it tightened his throat.
He raised his hand, not too quickly, his knuckles distinct. His fingers hovered near the fragile carotid artery without touching it, sensing the faint pulse of blood flowing beneath the skin.
His hand was cool, and the touch against the warm, soft skin made the young man tremble, panic flashing in his eyes as he instinctively tried to pull away.
"Don’t move." An uncompromising command.
His fingertip finally made contact, grazing the edge of the bite mark with the lightest touch. The skin beneath his fingers was impossibly smooth.
Perhaps his movements and gaze were too dangerous, for the young man held his breath, his eyes widening further, the skin beneath Jiang Lian’s palm trembling faintly.
Jiang Lian’s thumb moved slowly, savoring the tremor.
He pressed down harder, right at the deepest part of the mark.
The broken skin, treated so roughly, nearly bled.
"Mmm…" Xi Ting let out a soft, muffled groan. The instinct of prey kept him from moving recklessly, but as he looked at his indifferent lover, subjected to such disrespectful and careless touch, his grievances swelled once more.
Jiang Lian stared at him, his fingers not retreating but instead sliding upward along the graceful curve of his neck, lifting Xi Ting’s chin with an almost intimate gesture, forcing him to meet his gaze.
Satisfied that the intimidation had been sufficient and the young man was now calm enough, Jiang Lian spoke again.
"Now,"
"Can you talk properly with this 'scoundrel'?"
As if unsatisfied, his fingertip unconsciously lingered, stroking the delicate skin of the jaw as he withdrew—a motion even he himself was unaware of.
This gesture was far from comforting; it felt more like a tease. To Xi Ting, it was a blatant lack of respect, akin to toying with a plaything.
Xi Ting’s pupils contracted, his body trembling violently. The humiliation and disbelief of being treated so lightly by his lover caused his emotions to overflow completely.
He abruptly slapped Jiang Lian’s hand away, using all his strength. “Get away! Don’t touch me!”
【Mission Failed.】
【Regression countdown initiated…】
【3, 2, 1.】
The cold, electronic voice sounded once more.
Before Jiang Lian could even process the boy’s sudden outburst, the scene before him twisted and shattered again.
Smack!
…
The familiar sharp sound, the familiar force—the left cheek, struck for the third time, burned with a familiar sting.
He slowly turned his head.
There stood the same boy—soft black hair, eyes slightly reddened, hand still raised, glaring at him with a mix of shame and fury.
【Your little lover seems a bit upset. Try to soothe him.】
【Current Mission Progress: 0%】
【Regression Count: 2/3】
It had reset again.
Jiang Lian froze in place.
His expression remained blank as he stood there, silently observing this particularly temperamental “little lover” for three seconds.
He knew that forcing the issue would only lead to the same outcome.
Taking a deep breath, the air carried the lingering, sweet scent of the boy in the lounge.
He attempted to speak.
“My fault.”
Three words, dry and stiff. He was never one to yield easily, so they sounded somewhat awkward, but at least they were no longer accusations or commands.
Xi Ting visibly faltered, his raised hand slowly lowering. The fire in his eyes flickered, replaced by hesitation as he stared at Jiang Lian, surprised by the straightforward admission.
He pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Seeing no immediate rebuttal or another strike, Jiang Lian knew he had taken the right step. Tentatively, he added another sentence, his tone carrying a hint of guidance—as if helping the other recall or confirming his own guess. “I really shouldn’t have… acted that way just now. I was wrong.”
As for what “that way” meant, he waited for the boy to clarify.
These words seemed to strike a chord with Xi Ting. His eyes reddened abruptly, the anger he had been holding back finding an outlet, quickly replaced by hurt.
He turned his head away sharply, his voice tinged with accusation and sorrow. “You… you went too far!”
Watching the slight tremble in his shoulders, Jiang Lian realized that with him, a yielding attitude seemed more effective than forceful interrogation. At least the boy no longer bristled like a little hedgehog and showed signs of softening.
Once he started, the rest of the comforting words flowed naturally.
He took a tiny step forward, closing the distance slightly, hesitating before awkwardly raising his hand.
He had never done anything like this before, his movements stiff. Eventually, he lightly touched Xi Ting’s tense shoulder with his palm, then wrapped his arm around him, gently pulling him into an embrace. To his surprise, the boy’s frame fit perfectly against his own.
Lowering his voice to a softer, gentler tone, he murmured, “Yes, it was my fault. I won’t dare do it again.”
Xi Ting didn’t pull away. Nestled in his embrace, he sniffled and said bitterly, “It was all a misunderstanding… You didn’t even let me explain.”
“What’s the use of apologizing now!”
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the more he dwelled on it, the more furious he felt. He abruptly pushed Jiang Lian away and turned his back.
To avoid a fourth slap, Jiang Lian truly exhausted his patience. "I'm sorry," he said softly, his voice carrying a gentleness unfamiliar even to himself.
This subtle reassurance seemed to have some effect. Xi Ting's tense body relaxed slightly, but his grievances only grew stronger, and his words became more coherent. "You… I told you long ago, Raphael just happened to ask me about our art history assignment in the library! Xia really was just passing by the garden and said hello! Domi and Senior Xie—I ran into them when I went to the conference room looking for you, and you were there too!"
He turned his face, his eyes glistening with moisture, glaring accusingly at Jiang Lian. "There really was nothing else. We haven't even met privately! Why won't you believe me?"
The boy's words carried a wealth of information, and the truth of the matter slowly began to surface. The System's mechanical voice chimed in at just the right moment.
[Mission Completion: 50%]
Domi? Was that Domi as in Dominic? An unexpectedly intimate nickname. Xia, Xie Suizhi… Several unexpectedly familiar names caused Jiang Lian's gaze to flicker almost imperceptibly.
His thoughts raced, but on the surface, he managed to show just the right amount of remorse, echoing the other's words. "Yes, it was my fault."
He paused, thinking of the romantic scenes he'd observed, and tried his best to imitate them, infusing his voice with a tone of earnest self-reflection. "I shouldn't have doubted you, and I shouldn't have been so impulsive."
As he apologized, his gaze once again swept over Xi Ting's neck and slightly open collar, where that ambiguous mark stood out starkly against his warm, fair skin.
"My mistake," he repeated. "I should have listened to your explanation first."
Seeing Jiang Lian so uncharacteristically humble and sincere, Xi Ting softened a little more, his tone unconsciously taking on a note of intimacy as he complained, "If only you'd been willing to listen earlier! Then you wouldn't have just… just in front of them…!"
He uttered the last two words softly and quickly, as if recalling the earlier scene, overwhelmed with shame.
By now, Jiang Lian understood exactly why he had received those slaps.
The "Jiang Lian" in the Dreamscape, upon seeing the boy's closeness with others, driven by possessiveness, whether out of vigilance or jealousy, had resorted to a rather savage but effective way of asserting his claim.
Utterly childish, like a dog frantically marking its territory.
He sneered inwardly, his mockery merciless, even though it seemed to be his dream-self.
"How am I supposed to face them now? I can't even imagine how they'll look at me after this. You're really too much…" The boy continued to grumble.
The "Jiang Lian" who did such a thing probably wished you'd never dare to see them again.
Adding this thought silently, having now gauged the boy's temperament, he continued his habitual apologies.
"It's my fault," he said in a low voice. "I scared you, didn't I?"
Perhaps the "Jiang Lian" in the Dreamscape had precisely calculated that the boy was thin-skinned, and with his own hidden agenda, had acted outrageously in public.
"You were just overthinking things to begin with," Xi Ting said, seeing him acting so out of character and repeatedly admitting his mistakes. Being naturally good-natured, he really couldn't stay angry anymore.
He looked up at his face, his eyes carrying a hint of helplessness. "You're always like this, so many times now—jealous for no reason and refusing to listen… Do you think everyone in the world would like me?"
He concluded indignantly, "You're so domineering!"
Jiang Lian gazed into his vivid eyes, almost unconsciously raising a hand as if to touch him, but in the end, he clenched his fingers and lowered it again.
"It was my lack of control." He paused, seemingly weighing his words, but struggling due to his lack of experience, he simply repeated, "It's all my fault."
Jiang Lian's gaze fell on those pink-tipped ears, but his mind wandered—what if those guys in real life really met someone like this…
The thought flashed by and was quickly dismissed. He wasn't the type to casually judge his friends, and besides, this was ultimately just a nonsensical Dreamscape.
He looked at Xi Ting's puffed-up profile, its curve reminiscent of a tempting pink apple that begged to be bitten. His heart stirred, and his voice carried a familiarity he himself hadn't noticed, as if he had called out like this a thousand times before:
"Don't be angry… baby. Does it still hurt?"
The word slipped out, and even Jiang Lian himself paused slightly.
Hearing this address, Xi Ting's eyes widened, his cheeks and even the tips of his ears flushing red. Most of his earlier grievances and anger evaporated, leaving only embarrassment. "What are you calling me?!"
Seeing him like this, the unease in Jiang Lian's heart dissipated instead. The corners of his lips lifted into a faint curve. "I just felt like calling you that."
He had completely let go of his pride, reminding himself that this was just a Dreamscape. Thus, he successfully convinced himself. Gazing at the other's flushed cheeks, as if guided by some unseen force, he took his hand and guided it toward his own right cheek—the one that hadn't been slapped—adding, "If you're still not satisfied, you can hit me again."
Paired with his slightly teasing, not entirely serious tone, it sounded less like an apology and more like a provocation. Yet, in his eyes was an indulgence he himself hadn't noticed, blending into a unique kind of tolerance.
The atmosphere completely eased.
"Stop talking nonsense." Xi Ting's ears burned at his words. He shot him a reproachful glare, but compared to the sharpness of earlier times, it was more like a soft complaint.
Xi Ting looked at the faint redness on Jiang Lian's left cheek and ultimately softened. Hesitating for a moment, he withdrew his hand, his warm fingertips gently brushing the spot. His movements were tender, and his voice lowered, tinged with regret.
"Does it hurt? I think I got too worked up just now."
The touch was light, like a feather brushing past.
The spot Jiang Lian was touched trembled slightly.
Author's Note:
Jiang Lian: Turning into a dog takes only a second—no one's watching anyway.